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About 500 Sierra Leonean refugees have returned home from Liberia as part of a UNHCR-organised repatriation which started last week, UNHCR reported on Saturday.
Since 8 February, when a state of emergency was declared in Liberia due to renewed fighting, there has also been a large spontaneous movement of Sierra Leoneans returning home. However this movement decreased after the start of the direct convoys from the Sinje refugee camp in Liberia on Wednesday, UNHCR said.
Thousands of Liberians have also sought refuge in neighbouring Sierra Leone since the declaration of a state of emergency by President Charles Taylor. As of Saturday, a total of 7,415 Liberian refugees had been registered by Sierra Leonean immigration officials, UNHCR said. It said it was in the process of transferring the refugees to settlements farther inland.
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